Improvement in packing or shipping cans



H. A. SHERWIN. PACKING on SHIPPING CANS.

N O. 194 564 Patented Aug. 28, 18 77;,

IINVENTOR ATTORNEYS N PETERS. PNOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

HENRY A. SHERWIN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN PACKING OR SHIPPING CANS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1194,5154 dated August 28, 1877 application filed June 14,1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, of Cleveland, Ouyahoga county, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Metallic Shipping-Cans; and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of shipping-cans wherein it is desired to seal the cover or top to the can with a hermeticallytight joint of soft solder, but of such a nature that the joint may be severed by the use of a painters knife, or any other suitable device, without injury to the cover or can, so that the cover may be used subsequently as a remov abletop for the can.

In the drawing is represented a view, in elevation and cross-section, of a can embodying my invention.

A is the body of the can. B is the bottom, and (l the top. The top is provided with a depending flange, O. The body A of the can is provided near its top with an outwardlyprojecting head, A, of very slight protuberance; but, with the exception of this slight bead, the body of the can is straight from top to bottom. The depending flange (3 is inclined outward just sufficient to permit the lower edge of the depending flange to rest upon the outer edge of the bead A, and to project slightly below the same 5 but the upper edge of the body A projects straight up into the angle formed between the top 0 and the depending flange C. When the top is in position on the can the depending flange is soldered to the side or body A by running the soft solder so as to fill the space between the lower edge of the depending flange and the bead A, the bead serving to prevent the solder from flowing up farther toward the edge of the body A. In this way the edge of the depending flaiige stands sufficiently far from the body of the'can to admit of sufficient solder to make a tight joint, while the head A limits the solder-surfaces to a very narrow strip; and the upper edge of the body of the can being straight, and projecting sq uarely up HENRY A. SHERWIN,

against the top at the angle between the top and its depending flange, the material is in the best position to withstand any strains that may be thrown upon it in shipment, which might otherwise break loose the narrow soldered surfaces. When, however, it is desired to open this can for use, the operator, with the edge of a putty-knife or any other suitable tool, breaks open the solf-solder joint, and then runs the knife right around the can, thus loosening the entire top. He can then remove the top, and, as neither the top nor the body of the can has been injured in opening, he can use the top as a closely-fitting cover until the paint has been emptied from the can.

I prefer, generally, to make the opening through which the can is filled at the end opposite this removable head, as shown in the drawing. Therefore the can, when ready for use, is already provided with the top 0, soldered to the body A; but the central portion B of the bottom B is left open until the can has been filled with paint, or with any other substance that may be inclosed within the can-as, for instance, fruits, &c. Afterward this opening is covered in the usual manner by a disk of tin and soldered down.

By this construction I produce a can which is able to stand any amount of rough usage in handling without any danger of breaking the soldered joints by endwise pressure upon the can, at the same time produce a can that can be readily opened, and in which the cover may be afterward used as a close-fitting cover until the contents are emptied.

It is apparent that a can of the character described, with the side extending straight up to the top above the bead, is better adapted for holding paints, &c., after the top has been once removed than is a can in which the top edge is turned inwardly beneath the cover, for in the latter case the paint is apt to ooze out through the space thus left, and at the same time the cover is not held so securely.

Moreover, by my construction with the straight sides I possess the additional advantage of being able to insert a paint -knife squarely down against the side of the can, thereby leaving no part of the can that cannot be scraped readily from without; whereas in cans with the top edge turned inwardly the knife cannot be brought squarely against the inner surface of the can to scrape it free of paint.

What I claim is- Y 1. A metallic shipping-can for paints, fruits, &c., consisting of a body, A, with' straight sides extending from bottomv to top, and provided with a small head, A, in combination with a cover, 0, provided with a depending flange, 0, made to extend just below the outer edge of the said head, the two united at this point by a joint of soft solder, filling the space between the depending flange and the lower surface of the bead, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. A metallic shipping-can for paints, fruits,

800., consisting of the body A, provided with straight sides from bottom to top, with a head, A, and top 0, provided with depending flange O, inclined slightly outward, so as to embrace the head, a narrow separable joint of soft solder between the lower edge of the flange and the body of the can, beneath the bead, and a perforated bottom,B B, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY A. SHERWIN.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS TOUMEY, W. E. DONNELLY. 

